three years fun!

it's so hard to believe that this little guy was just enrolled into preschool!! how did that happen?

Guess I should just update sometimes...

SO BUSY!! Everyone who told me to nap while I was pregg... was totally right. I should have done that. Everyone who tells me to nap while Harlo naps... is totally right. I should be doing that right now. BUT there are clothes to fold, dishes to clean, floors to mop, meals to prepare, diapers to wash, toys to pick up, things to dust, rugs to vacuum, showers to take, etc... The days go by so fast, but every minute is precious. This little dude makes our lives full, and happy. Just look at that face!

Halloween Roar!

Mommy Hood

Making the decision I'd be a stay-at-homer is the best decision we could have made. These past (almost) 6 months have flown by, and everyday spent at home with Harlo is golden. We've hit some major milestones, and it wrecks me inside to think some parents don't have this luxury. It would make me sad if someone else was with him when he rolled over, sat on his own, or laughed for the first time. (It also makes me wonder what is wrong with our society that we send mothers off to work only after a few months of welcoming a new person into the world -- whole other topic.)

This month, Jacob (and his colleague) have moved the office from across town into the work studio we have in our backyard. It's quite the setup we have, and I absolutely love having them here everyday. The only minor catch is there is no restroom in the studio, so they have to come inside the house to relieve themselves. No biggie. However, there were a few adjustments to the way our home was arranged that needed to be made. If you were to go back a few pages on this blog you'd see a couple of pictures of our home. If you notice, mommy and daddy's room was right off the kitchen (which happens to be an entrance from the backyard). In order to get some more privacy we've moved into Harlo's room. SCOOT OVER, H... we're movin' in! Now our old room is Harlo's playroom and the three of us share a bedroom. The entrance for the backyard worker bees is free from the 'bedroom feel', and is more welcoming to enter.

And why stop at the bedrooms? We decided to rearrange the living room (again). It's much, much more open and inviting. The whole room feels very spacious and friendly. Yes, rooms can feel friendly. Having a playroom is pretty awesome because the living room is free from baby toy clutter, and I don't have to worry about Harlo crashing into our marble coffee table top. I'm really pleased with the way everything is organized now. It just makes more sense.

I love my hood, and feel very content within my little community.

Cloth Diapers...

Yes, yes... we are still on the cloth diaper train. We only have 6 diapers right now. They're pretty expensive ($18.95/dipe), so we're buying one here and there. I alternate between cloth and disposable throughout the day. We either hand wash and hang to dry, or if they're stinky/messy we machine wash... I end up doing 1 load of laundry a day.

We have 2 different cloth diaper brands: Happy Heiny's and Bum Genius. I highly recommend the H.H. over the B.G. They're easier to use, protect against leakage hellova lot better, and I like the Velcro closures. He's never leaked or blown out the H.H. They're awesome. B.G. is second best.

We also use washcloths for the cleanup instead of wipes. I found the wipes irritate his little behind. It's better to use just water and a mild soap for the butt-cleaning.

HAPPY HEINY'S

BUN GENIUS

Whoops... neglected the blog.

Is there anything more precious and cuter than your own child? I mean, seriously! Look at that face... so damned cute. He's growing fast and I can't believe it's been 2.5 months. We've put him on a bedtime routine, and it's working fabulously. At 8 PM every night he gets his bath, which he loves. Then, it's clean diaper time and a good-night feeding. By 9 PM he's asleep and will sleep until 5:30 AM. It's wonderful. Our days consist of feedings, diaper changings, baths, laughs, hiccups, spit-ups, and love. It's really fun.

If you want more pictures I post them here:

PHOTOS

xoxo

Postpartum

I have my 6 week check up today. Everything feels almost normal, and I'm wondering if my midwife will give me the go-ahead to exercise. The only exercise I've been allowed to do is walk, kegals, and head lifts. I've been walking everywhere and have lost 26 of the 50 pounds I gained during the pregnancy, but I haven't been given permission to vigorously exercise. That means no sit-ups, jogging, bikram yoga-ing, or any other 'indoor sports' (if you know what I mean). Hopefully things have settled where they're supposed to go and I can start taking steps to gaining my pre-pregg body back.

I know I might never look like this again, but I'd sure like to try to get there.



And just because... here's the cutest little sleeper!!

Cloth Diapers...

For the past 5 weeks and 3 days I have been feeling somewhat guilty anywhere from 8-13 times a day. Even though we're using environmentally friendly (aka: expensive) diapers the guilt still lingers... everyday.

SO- I finally broke down, and broke my pocketbook, and purchased Happy Heinys: The top of the line cloth diaper.

Learning...

Harlo has started reaching for things... he loves this gymnastics thing. The little birdie is his favorite right now. He hasn't figured out how to grab onto it, but he looks at it and hits it with his hand- then laughs. **His laughs are soundless, open mouthed, and precious. I just love him so much.

Chubby McCubberton

4 Weeks, 2 Days

He smiles!!

3 weeks old

Breastfeeding rules my life, and has taught me a few things about myself: I'm patient, compassionate, and damned talented at getting things done one-handedly. With the use of only one hand I can check my e-mail, talk on the phone, make a sandwich, water the plants, pay darts, give a massage, and run a marathon.

I need a shirt that says: Baby on Boob. Every two to three hours I am beckoned by our child. He looks at me with wide eyes, and an open mouth. It cracks me up how he head bunts my breast trying to latch onto my nipple, and the noises he makes are enough to make anyone laugh. He's a true comic.

Just look at his face in this picture. He's hilarious. It needs a caption... what is Harlo thinking?

Cousins...

Grammy and Poppy came for a visit... and brought Harlo's cousins: Ethan and Eli.

Photo by Auntie Margot

Harlo's Birth Story

Around 9 PM on May 4th I started feeling as if my period was about to start. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in 10 months. Cramps. "OOH... uh... hmm?? Could this be it?"

Around 1 AM the cramps turned into something more than a menstrual reminder. At 20 minutes apart I could no longer stay in bed, so I started cleaning our house. Skylar followed me around the house all night and into the morning. Poor little doggie... I think she was concerned!

I woke Jacob up at 3:30 AM and we started timing our contractions (**I say OUR because from this point on he went through every contraction with me**). Each contraction was getting stronger and stronger, but still 10-15 minutes apart and too early to go to the hospital. We went for a walk, Jacob massaged my lower back, we took a shower, and by 8 AM it was time to go!

We made the short drive up the hill and arrived at Feather River Hospital (The Best place to have a baby-- great nursing staff, wonderful midwives, and caring doctors!!) around 9 AM. For the next 12 hours I endured a crazy test of my sanity, strength, and womanhood.

Once I was 10 CM dilated I got into the birthing tub. For the next two hours-- nothing happened. I pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed and did a whole lot of OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH's and UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH's and deep, low sounding primal noises (I wish I would have recored myself). Once the nurse realized Harlo's head was not moving she called in the midwife (who was assisting another birth). They thought his little body was turned (in the wrong position). The had to call in bigger guns.

The doctor came in about 20 minutes after being called (amazing). He took a look inside and said, "the baby's not turned-- he's stuck". At this point I looked at my midwife and asked her if I could have something for the pain (and for my mind). She looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, but you need all your strength right now and if I give you something you won't be able to push your baby out". I took this as, YOU'RE VERY CLOSE TO HAVING A C-SECTION.

One episiotomy, a vacuum assist, and 6 pushes later: Harlo was born at 9:54 PM on El Cinco De Mayo. He was placed on my chest and bliss poured out of me. He looked at me, I talked to him, we both cried, and I apologized for his cone head. My pelvic bone was in the way, and my tailbone is tilted-- makes for a small vajayjay opening. The doctor had to assist Harlo down, over, and out! BUT we escaped C-Section land.

Love just took on a whole new meaning...

Our boy... Harlo.

He's HERE!!!

Sunday, May 4th: 9 PM--

Cramps and more cramps.

Monday, May 5th: 8:30 AM--

Hospital and 3 Cm dilated.

Monday, May 5th: 9:54 PM--

Baby Harlo Chapel Daley: 8 pds, 8.5 oz.

Baby Harlo.

1 CM Dilated, and 8 more to go...

On Thursday I found out I'm 1 CM dilated and 90% effaced. The midwife advised us to be prepared for this weekend. The baby is on its way. That night we packed our bags with all the essentials needed to keep us comfortable, prepared, and entertained with everything from fresh clothing and nursing pads to healthy snacks and The Happiest Baby on the Block.

Every new parent should check this out...

Well, it's Saturday. The weekend is here. Baby? Nope ... we're just being patient. I kind of wish our midwife wouldn't have told us to get prepared for the weekend because now I'm constantly wondering... however, the fact that I am dilating and opening up makes me really happy.

I'm ready, but also know that the baby has to be ready before anything will happen. One side of my brain is anxious, but the other side is patient. It makes me say things to the baby like, "Baby! Aren't you ready to see us??" and "Baby, I trust you'll come when you're ready".

I'm opening up w/out contracting. Is this normal? I've never even experienced Braxton Hicks. Maybe the baby will just slide out... or swim its way out the birth canal. Maybe I'll be one of the lucky ones who feel "no pain". Yea...

To Whine, or not to wine...

Wait, wait, wait... oh, and wait.

I don't feel any different today than I did last week. While relaxing in bed last night I started to visualize myself going into labor. I kept telling myself, "water- you can break now".

I really don't want to go too far past my due date. The closer I get to that DUE DATE the more I want the contractions to start... and I want them to start on their own. If I am 2 weeks past that date they will start to induce me, which means poking and drugs and membrane stripping and not what I want.

Inducing Labor

Not only do I NOT want to be induced, but I also don't want to push a 10 pound baby out the birth canal. It can be done-- my mother did it, but I don't want to relive that history. Scares me. So basically, the baby should come today.

Is there a Baby Dance I can do to get things going? Can I start pushing now?

1 Week From Today

And the clock ticks twice as fast. I'm due in 7 days. I've been pregnant for 273 days. I haven't had a sip of alcohol since August 24th, 2007. And I have been slowly wanting my body back for 21 days. I'm ready. The baby's room is ready. The house is ready. The baby shower is finished. The belly cast is finished. The classes are finished. Come on out now little one. Mommy and daddy are finished waiting.